Determined to Apprentice

With an uneasy mind, how could one sleep peacefully? Originally, due to excessive shock and exhaustion, his sleep had been somewhat heavy, but he was soon startled awake by a nightmare, after which he tossed and turned, unable to fall back asleep.

Furthermore, the attack last night had occurred in the middle of the night, and he had not rested much before dawn began to break outside the window. Although he had only endured for less than half the night, Mu Xiangli felt as if every single part of his body was aching.

On the bed, the old man spoke without opening his eyes, "Since it is dawn, you should leave quickly."

Mu Xiangli said helplessly, "There is no need to rush to drive me away like this."

"I am not your lifesaving straw." The old man opened his eyes, stood up, glanced at him, and said, "Are you not afraid that the person from last night might return to settle scores with me, and seeing you refusing to leave, will kill you along the way?"

"Since Senior puts it that way," Mu Xiangli felt like he was being compared to a chick, but he could not refute it, so he simply said, "Senior, rest assured, I am not afraid."

The old man sneered, "Your skin is truly thick. If you are not afraid, then scram."

"Senior said last night that I am a good seed for martial arts. Why don't you reconsider..." Mu Xiangli was usually not one to cling to others, but having just arrived in this place where his life was not his own, he had to firmly grasp any hope of survival.

However, before he could finish, the old man lost his patience and raised his saber. Fortunately, the saber did not leave its scabbard, indicating he did not want to take Mu Xiangli's life, but a powerful gust of Qi swept through, as if to blast him out of the door with a single palm strike.

Mu Xiangli was initially startled, but the moment the old man raised his saber, he felt a mysterious, illusory sensation, as if he could see a red light spreading toward him, like a boss's attack warning in a game.

His mind was still clear; this was merely a sensation in his consciousness, and no actual red light appeared before him. As for whether to trust this feeling, he had no other choice. Making a decisive move, he swiftly lunged toward a blind spot where the red light did not cover.

Throwing himself to the ground, Mu Xiangli unconsciously closed his eyes. After waiting for a moment without feeling any pain, he quickly opened his eyes and looked at the old man.

The old man was also somewhat astonished now. "How did you do that?"

Mu Xiangli cautiously replied, "Intuition."

The old man fell silent. If he had only felt the boy had some talent last night, he was truly startled just now. Such sensory ability, in his experience, though he dared not say it was peerless under heaven, was absolutely as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns.

Mu Xiangli wanted to plead further, but feared causing annoyance, so he silently awaited the result.

"Follow me," the old man said, stepping out of the wooden cabin.

Mu Xiangli followed him outside and found that the old man's saber was already unsheathed. Seeing him come out, the old man said in a deep voice, "I will strike once more. If you can survive, I will consider teaching you martial arts. If you die, so be it. If you dare not, then scram."

Mu Xiangli was not good at gambling, let alone gambling with his life, but he knew this was a turning point—a turning point of destiny.

Scramming obediently into this desolate wilderness with no money, no food, no martial arts, and no weapons—was that not also gambling with his life? If he were caught and torn apart by a black bear or a white tiger, his death would be even more miserable.

Mu Xiangli quickly used these reasons to convince himself, cupping his hands in a salute. "Please strike, Senior."

Seeing him hesitate only slightly before making up his mind, the old man was somewhat pleased. Showing no mercy, he slashed forward.

It looked like a single strike, but Mu Xiangli saw a fan-shaped red light enveloping him the moment the old man moved. Yet, the fan shape seemed to lack a single rib, leaving a gap just wide enough for one person.

*How ruthless!* Mu Xiangli knew the old man was truly testing him with his life. Daring not to be careless, he stumbled and threw himself toward the sole path of survival.

The saber light flashed, severing the fence behind Mu Xiangli, but leaving him completely unharmed. The old man's eyes flashed with brilliant light; this boy's previous escape was indeed not luck, he was truly gifted with extraordinary talent.

Though he fell into the dirt and looked incredibly disheveled, Mu Xiangli smiled. His limbs were intact, his body unharmed—he had won the bet!

"Master!" As if fearing the old man would change his mind, Mu Xiangli stood up and called out.

Hearing this call, the old man was slightly taken aback, then said, "I only said I would consider it. I have not agreed yet."

Mu Xiangli did not believe the old man before him would play word games, so he quietly waited for him to continue. Sure enough, as he expected, the old man merely had conditions.

After a brief silence, the old man spoke, "I will accept you as my disciple. If you achieve success in the future, you must do one thing for me."

Mu Xiangli immediately said, "Master, you must be joking. Since you are my Master, whatever it is, just give the command."

The old man did not want to hear these meaningless platitudes. He pointed his saber forward, causing the wind to rise and the pressure on Mu Xiangli to suddenly intensify. "Do you agree so easily? Even if it is to kill someone, you will not hesitate?"

Mu Xiangli composed himself, knelt in a grand kowtow, and said sincerely, "The favor of transmitting the Dao and teaching skills is immense and cannot be forgotten. Therefore, I will kill!"

The old man asked, "Even if they are not deeply wicked, just ordinary people, you will still kill?"

Mu Xiangli did not know if this was a test. Gritting his teeth, he said, "I will!"

The old man asked further, "What if this person is of great virtue, aligns knowledge with action, protects the common people, and benefits all living beings?"

Mu Xiangli remained silent, then raised his head and said, "Why would Master ask me to kill such a person? I do not believe it!"

The old man did not want to hear his excuses. "Why not? What if I am an evil person? Do not play petty tricks. To kill or not to kill?"

Mu Xiangli tried to explain, "Master, this matter must be viewed dialectically..."

"To kill or not to kill?" the old man interrupted him, a powerful aura like a mountain torrent pressing down.

Unable to think under this oppressive aura, Mu Xiangli blurted out, "I will not kill!"

This was the truest intent in his heart!

Mu Xiangli had never felt he was a man of flawless virtue. If pushed to a dead end one day, he knew he might do something illegal.

Previously, joking with friends, they asked if he could endure torture like tiger benches or chili water, and he frankly said he would probably confess the moment his fingernails were pulled. But from the bottom of his heart, he believed he was a man of principle, one who would not stick to minor details but would uphold great righteousness. He truly could not endure severe torture, so he would choose to die early. The old man's two questions just now served as a reflection of his moral standards.

Now, he had to wait for the old man's decision.

After a long silence, the old man spoke, "This disciple, I accept."

"Master above, please accept your disciple's bows." Hearing this, Mu Xiangli hastily performed the apprenticeship bows. Raising his head after bowing, he asked curiously, "Master, can you introduce yourself now?"

The old man saw through his little scheme instantly. "I will say this first: I am merely a stray dog, not some grand figure. Do not be disappointed."

"Master, you are too modest."

"Modest..." The old man shook his head. "Do you know of the peace talks between us and Youqiu sanyi s60 years ago?"

Mu Xiangli shook his head. "I do not."

The old man sighed, "It was quite a long time ago. But surely you have heard that Youqiu once set a trap to assassinate our Heir Apparent, causing our war with Youqiu to drag on for another ten years?"

"I have not." Mu Xiangli was somewhat embarrassed. This truly could not be blamed on him.

For the first time, a trace of irritation appeared on the old man's face. He pointed at Mu Xiangli. "You do not know this, you do not know that. What do you know?"

Mu Xiangli felt very wronged. The previous owner of this body had cleared out everything, leaving not even a shred of memory. What could he know? "Master, your disciple is ignorant and ill-informed. Why don't you tell me about it?"

"I will not waste my breath. Today, run an errand for me first. As I told you last night, ten miles west down the mountain, there are signs of human habitation. There is a village there. Take the good dried meat in the yard. Find anyone and say it is a gift from the old hunter on the mountain; they will naturally understand.

Then go to the blacksmith shop in the town to fetch a saber, and buy a few books on ancient history, records of bizarre events, or miscellaneous tales. Come back and talk to me once you understand them."

As the old man spoke, he took out some silver pieces and threw them to Mu Xiangli, then prepared to return to his room. After a few steps, he could not help but turn back and ask, "Do you at least know how to read?"

He understood the spoken words, so he should know the written ones... Ah, Mu Xiangli was not entirely sure, but fearing he would be slashed if he said no, he nodded first and said, "Yes, I do."

Only then did the old man wave his hand, telling him to leave quickly.

Mu Xiangli was not stupid enough to ask, "Are you not afraid I will run away with the silver?" and smoothly went down the mountain.

This journey was entirely on foot, taking a whole morning. By the time he returned, the stars were out and the moon was high, and he almost lost his way.

Fortunately, this trip was relatively smooth, giving him a basic understanding of this world. However, the more he understood, the harder it was for his heart to remain calm.

According to the legends and wild histories he read, and the tales he gathered, the Emperor of old had personally cast the Nine Cauldrons to suppress the Nine Provinces. When the Nine Cauldrons were completed, they transformed into True Dragons and flew away. These Nine Cauldrons also transformed into exotic beasts during the day and charged away, each heading in a different direction. Rumor had it that these Nine Cauldrons were the incarnations of the nine sons of the dragon, each containing innate power.

Later, the Nine Provinces split into nine kingdoms: Xiyu, Yunlai, Cangqi, Ling'an, Tongqiu, Youqiu, Nanjiang, Xikui, and Xifu. The nine kings each held one cauldron, ruling by heavenly mandate to vie for the world. There were rumors that if one could monopolize the Nine Cauldrons, they would achieve immortal godhood.

Mu Xiangli merely read this legend and let it go. Regardless of its truth, it did not seem like something he could get involved in. On the contrary, he now understood the peace talks the old man had mentioned.

In the past, Youqiu and Xiyu had fought for several years with no clear victor. Youqiu first proposed peace talks, with the location set at the border of the two countries.

Xiyu sent their Heir Apparent. Although Xiyu had also prepared for traps, they did not expect Youqiu to collude with Tongqiu. Tongqiu suddenly deployed troops to cut off Xiyu's reinforcements, leading to a massive defeat at the front.

Youqiu pursued the Heir Apparent of Xiyu all the way. The accompanying imperial guards protected him, finally fighting their way through the encirclement and narrowly escaping back. However, of the twenty-four imperial guards, only two survived, and both were heavily injured.

Thinking of this, Mu Xiangli felt the old man was indeed modest.

Traveling back and forth from day to night, Mu Xiangli hurriedly rushed back to the small wooden cabin in the mountains. The moment he entered, regardless of his fatigue, he asked impatiently, "Master, could it be that you are one of the surviving imperial guards from back then?"

The old man sighed, "Indeed. I am Qi Beixing, the former deputy commander of the imperial guards who protected the Heir Apparent to the peace talks before the palace. The graves you bowed to yesterday are the resting places of my fallen compatriots who fell along the way."